JUNEAU (WISC) — A Fond du Lac man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Bradlee Gerke.
Shortly after he was released from prison in 2018, 21-year-old Nigel Schultz shot Gerke 16 times in the back of the head and torso. Schultz buried Gerke in a shallow grave in the Town of Lebanon. Schultz told law enforcement officials he killed Gerke because Gerke was going to turn him into police. Schultz also repeatedly confessed to many others, including telling acquaintances on a recorded jail phone line that shooting someone 16 times “cannot be an accident.”
“Never have I encountered an offender who had such an extensive criminal record at such a young age. The defendant viewed the killing as his most significant accomplishment, and bragged about it as if it was a badge of honor,” District Attorney Kurt F. Klomberg said at sentencing. “I am totally convinced that he will kill again if given the opportunity. In the end I can find no redeeming value in this individual, and I believe he should never be allowed to be released from prison.”
Prior to this homicide, Schultz had already been convicted for 10 felonies and multiple misdemeanors, all of which were committed before his 18th birthday.
